Minowa Castle Ruins

Takasaki, Japan, Japan

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Minowa Castle Ruins are the remains of a large 16th‑century hill castle in the Misato area of Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, notable as one of the biggest castle sites in the prefecture and as a major stronghold during the Sengoku period.

The castle was originally established around 1500 by Nagano Narihisa and served as the base of the Nagano clan for four generations; under Nagano Narimasa it became famous for repeatedly resisting invasions by the powerful warlord Takeda Shingen, earning Narimasa the title “Yellow Tiger of Joshu” and the castle a reputation as nearly impregnable.

Minowa was later taken by the Takeda, then controlled by the Oda, Gō‑Hōjō, and finally the Tokugawa-linked Ii clan, with its present ruins mainly reflecting the period when the famed Tokugawa general Ii Naomasa resided there, before he moved to Takasaki Castle in 1598 and the site was abandoned.

Today the site is a protected National Historic Site (designated in 1987) and part of Japan’s Top 100 Castles list, featuring wide walking trails that follow the remains of massive dry moats, earthen ramparts, stone walls, and restored gate structures such as the Kuruwa Umadashi Nishikoguchi Gate, all set in a landscape that changes noticeably with the seasons.